n. COLUBRID^ 



County; Ogden, Weber County; and Bountiful, Davis 

 County. 



Nevada records are Ruby Mountains, and the vicinity 

 of Carlin, Elko County; the Cortez Range, Eureka County; 

 Holbrook, Douglas County; Ormsby County; and Wads- 

 worth, Washoe County. 



Remarks. — The fact that more than half the specimens 

 from west of the Rocky Mountains have eight labials while 

 those from farther east usually have seven causes us to con- 

 tinue to regard them as distinct subspecies. 



Habits. — Like other members of its genus, the western 

 Yellow-bellied Racer is a skillful climber, and often runs 

 through the tops of the bushes at almost as great a speed 

 as when upon the ground. It is frequently found, how- 

 ever, in open country or in fields of growing grain, the grassy 

 margins of rivers, or moist meadows. It is a very graceful, 

 gentle snake. 



Lord says, "Its favourite haunt appears to be in the thin 

 brush skirting the edges of open prairie land, and the prin- 

 cipal part of its time in the summer appears to be passed in 

 the bushes, up the stems of which it climbs with great ease 

 and celerity; when there, it lazily basks away its time coiled 

 round a branch. I suspect tree frogs and insect larvae con- 

 stitute its usual food." 



145. Coluber flagellum piceus (Cope) 



Western Whip Snake 



Plates 64, 65 and 66 



Herpetodryas flamgularis Hallowell, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., Vol. X, 



1859, p. 12; Heermamn, Rep. Pac. R. R. Surv., Vol. X, 1859, 



p. 24- 

 Masticophis testaceus Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1866, pp. 305, 



312. 

 Drymobius testaceus^ Cooper, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., Vol. IV, 1870, pp. 



68, 76. 



